by Heather Lowe, 10/12/12 Turtle
Survival Alliance
On October 10, two Asian passengers on an
Air Madagascar flight to Bangkok, Thailand and Guangzhou, China were arrested
at Ivato International Airport after attempting to smuggle four suitcases full
of 569 Critically Endangered Radiated Tortoises (Astrochelys radiata) through
customs. This is a record number seizure for this airport in the capital
city of Antananarivo. After the confiscation, the Malagasy Forestry
Authority mandated the Turtle Survival Alliance to look after the baby
tortoises. Of the group, three were already dead and ten are currently in
very poor condition.
This is the second major tortoise
confiscation in the past two weeks and is already overwhelming our resources to
care for them properly. This underscores the critical need for another
regional rescue center in the south where tortoises can be moved immediately
following seizure for quarantine, treatment and long-term care prior to their
release back into protected areas.
Herilala Randriamahazo (TSA Malagasy
Tortoise Conservation Coordinator) has been scrambling ever since the
confiscation to care for the tortoises, along with the help of the Madagascar
Biodiversity Partnership (MBP) staff. The tortoises are currently being housed
at the offices shared by the TSA and the MBP in Antananarivo, but there are not
sufficient facilities available there to house the massive influx of animals.
Right now, many are making their home on the terrace out of necessity! They
will be kept there until the investigation against the poachers is complete and
the TSA is given permission to move forward with reintroduction plans that will
send the tortoises back to the spiny forests in the south.
In the meantime, plans are underway to
construct additional pens on site and to transform a part of the existing
garden to better manage the tortoises. Part-time keepers will have to be brought
on board to assist with the massive job of caring with such a large group until
their eventual release. If you are interested in making a donation toward these
efforts (anything will help!) please contact Heather Lowe at the
Turtle Survival Alliance for more details.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment
You only need to enter your comment once! Comments will appear once they have been moderated. This is so as to stop the would-be comedian who has been spamming the comments here with inane and often offensive remarks. You know who you are!